Always rejoice in the Lord
Always rejoice in the Lord
Text: Philippians 4:4
‘Rejoice in the Lord always, I say again, rejoice.
A person who was traveling in a city in the United States asked the traffic police to teach a church to worship on a Sunday. Then the policeman pointed to a church that looked far away. ‘There must be a church nearby, so why are you teaching a church so far away?’ I asked again. Then the policeman said, ‘If you look at the faces of the people who came out of worship, the faces of those who came out of the church over there looked much more joyful and happy than those near the church. I am an unbeliever, but I introduced this church because I thought it was a gracious church and a true church.” Even in the eyes of the world, the favored and unfavorable faces are revealed. Gratitude that comes out of pain and tribulation is more valuable than the gratitude that comes from a peaceful and joyful environment. Even if there are many difficult problems in our lives, there is joy that comes from the soul of the blessed people. Because God fights for us and rejoices in our souls. We must live by sharing the joy that comes from the soul with everyone around us.
“Let all who seek you rejoice and rejoice in you, and let those who love your salvation always say, The Lord is great” (Psalm 40:16).
There are over 6 billion people living in this world. They may have somewhat different pursuits. Some seek honor, some seek wealth, some seek knowledge, some seek power, some seek art, and some seek love. However, the ultimate human interest is one in the end. that is happiness. But most of the time, they try to find this happiness outside. Trying to get it out of sight. The outside world changes. It looks unsettling. True joy must be unchanging, unshakable, and not deprived of any circumstance or under any conditions.
Wannamaker, who has been called the king of department stores in America, once said that ‘a smile is a rose that blooms on the roadside’. Roses blooming on the roadside implicitly please those who come and go, and so is the power of a smile. A good word to keep in mind by those who always have a frown on their face and never smile. Paul also exhorts us to always live joyfully.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
The word “happy” is the English word “Happy”, which also means to be happy. Happy people rejoice. Happy people are happy. Here are some conditions. You have to love others first to be happy. Happy is the person who loves not only the one who loves me, but also the one who hates me. And you have to have hope. No matter how dark the night, there must be hope to find the stars. The other is that there is joy in those who work diligently. There is no joy in those who do nothing. Another is that a life of gratitude makes us happy. Let's always rejoice. Let's rejoice instead of resentment. Then we will be happy.
“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord and walks in his ways.” (Psalm 128:1)
Christianity is referred to as the so-called “rejoicing religion”. This means that Christianity is the religion where we can rejoice not only when our wishes are fulfilled, but also when we face difficulties. Furthermore, this means that Christianity is the religion that we should always rejoice in, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. So how can you always be happy? That is only possible when we are ‘in the Lord’ and ‘in the Holy Spirit’. This is because only when we are captivated by the Holy Spirit can we transcend the environment and look at 'Only the Lord' and look at 'Heaven'. Therefore, we should receive the filling of the Holy Spirit and do not blame our fate for the circumstances we are in, but rather get up from the spot and live a life of joy and victory. Believers must have the fruit of the Holy Spirit. One of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22).
* Prayer: My joy, my hope, my life, Lord, I believe that happiness is not in material things. Let us not put our hope in material things, but hope in the Lord. Help me to become a wise person who speaks right words and listens to right lessons. We believe that joy and peace come from true fellowship with God. Help us to resist Satan's tactics and temptations that break our close relationship with God, and let us enjoy true joy and peace by confessing the sins of our hearts to God. May others find joy through me, just once a day today. And when I go to bed, let that joy return to me, and let the river of peace flow in my heart. We pray in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen